Graham Scott - What Car

Published:10:43 amJanuary 3, 2018

For the same money, which one is better value?

Some people will only buy vehicles new. Others never would. But this pairing might make those clear-cut positions a little less clear. Because many would hanker after a Land Rover Discovery Sport even though they know they don’t have north of £30,000 to spend and they’d balk at the initial depreciation. But one two years old for £25,000 would be tempting. Or would it be more tempting than another seven-seater SUV, one with even more style it, and brand new to boot? Let’s find out.

Driving

There’s one area where the Land Rover takes an instant and clear lead. It’s a Land Rover and the other one isn’t. That means that if you want to back up those go-anywhere SUV looks, it’s the Discovery Sport that will get you there, while the Peugeot 5008 will endeavour to look stylish and insouciant while spinning its wheels and going nowhere.

Front-wheel drive against four-wheel drive, backed up by decades of experience at conquering remote parts of the world – no contest. But on the road, which is where most will spend all of their days, the Peugeot makes a good case for itself. The ride is remarkably comfortable, absorbing the normal road surface, which does actually resemble a ploughed field, with some finesse. The Discovery Sport isn’t bad at all, but rougher surfaces do get through – it’s worth checking a used model isn’t fitted with the larger wheels as they make things worse.

Equally the ambience inside the French vehicle is very relaxed, thanks to a quiet, smooth and free-revving petrol engine. It may only be 1.2 litres but it seems more than enough to propel the 5008 forward with some elan. This along with 55.4mpg claimed means the Peugeot is very relaxing to drive, and economical too.

The Discovery Sport has more low-down grunt thanks to the 2.0-litre diesel engine, but there’s a definite lack of sparkle to it. Stirring it along with a six-speed manual box, you make decent progress but it feels a bit stolid and leisurely even if you want to get a shuffle on. There’s a touch of vibration through the controls, as well, and all that comes with worse claimed fuel consumption, at 53.3mpg.

Interior

Inside, apart from the minor vibration, the Land Rover occupants will get a fully sorted interior resplendent with the sort of luxurious charm that only the English seem to do in that way. The heated front seats have excellent part leather, and there’s plenty of standard kit like dual-zone climate control, cruise control and more, even in this lower SE trim.

Second row space is adequate, although getting three across wouldn’t do for a long journey. Third row passenger space is definitely on the cramped side. It all feels very conventional and standard, something reinforced by the driver’s position with its normal dials. Everything is simple to use and feels well made and there’s a thought that this really ought to do to beat a French vehicle from a brand hardly renowned for high-quality cabins.

And then you sit in the Peugeot and remember just how far this brand has moved forward. Okay, you might expect a bit of style, but there’s tons of it, everywhere. This is a smart, stylish cabin with some imagination on show. Not only that, but the quality has really moved forward, to the extent that actually it feels better built than the Land Rover.

Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.0 TD4 180 SE

Price new: £32,665
Price today: £25,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel
Power: 178bhp
0-62mph: 9.4sec
Top speed: 117mph
Economy: 53.3mpg
CO2 emissions: 139g/km
Price today is based on a 2015 model with average mileage and a full service history

The LCD screen in front of the driver can be configured to personal choice, and there’s a wealth of deep, soft plastics and fine trim. Head rearward and you find far more space than in the Discovery Sport, particularly in the second row, but the third row is comfy and the boot simply enormous.

In Allure (a trim level best thought of as said by Inspector Clouseau), you get dual-zone climate control, parking sensors, auto lights and wipers, cruise control, sat nav, rear camera, privacy glass, safety kit and a long list more.

Costs

So we have two apparently similar but very different vehicles for £25,000. One point is that quite a bit of the depreciation will already have burned off the Discovery Sport, and is yet to start flaming the value of the new Peugeot. In a few years’ time the Land Rover might well be worth more than the 5008. On the other hand you’re more likely to find a finance deal with the Peugeot and it will usually be cheaper.

And you’ll get a three-year warranty as opposed to the one-year warranty left on the two-year-old Land Rover. Which brings us to reliability. Peugeot does not have a good reputation, being only four from last in a recent reliability survey. The 5008 is too new to figure, but that’s worth bearing in mind. So where does that leave Land Rover? Second to last, even worse. In that survey the Discovery Sport came 25th out of 27th in the large SUV category, meaning you may well want to invest in a beefed-up warranty.

Verdict

So that’s not very clear cut is it? There are pros and cons for each, with neither taking a clear win. You’ll have to weigh up the positives and negatives and see which one works for you, based on the information you now have. Bonne chance (and that’s not a subliminal hint.)